felser Posted July 15, 2011 Report Posted July 15, 2011 I love love love Billy Harper's music, have for almost 40 years. It has a spiritual impact on me more than anyone else's. I have finally decided to take the leap and complete my collection of his recordings. I was missing three CD's and the Live in Poland DVD. I was able to get 'The Believer' from Da Bastads (Dusty Groove) for $16.99 and shipping (about $21 total when all was said and done). I can get the DVD for $17.98 on Amazon. The remaining two CD's, 'Love on The Sudan' and 'Trying to Make Heaven My Home', are available from a seller on ebay for $24.99 + $4.00 shipping (so $28.99 total) each. Dusty Groove lists both, but is out of stock on them, and I have no confidence on them coming back in. Does anyone know a better source than ebay for the two CD's (or a better i.e. cheaper source for the DVD for that matter)? I want to try to get all of this now before it disappears. Thanks for your help. Quote
JSngry Posted July 15, 2011 Report Posted July 15, 2011 On the jazzcorner site, I think that Billy has a link & you can order CD-Rs directly from him. Other than that...you're looking at Denon & MPS, two labels that don't show up with any regularity here, so I'd be prepared to carpe diem on what I could find where I could find it. I've heard both, and trust me, it'll be money well-spent. Quote
felser Posted July 15, 2011 Author Report Posted July 15, 2011 Thanks Jim, have one other lead I'm going to follow up on, and will spring for them on ebay shortly if that doesn't come to fruition! Quote
felser Posted July 16, 2011 Author Report Posted July 16, 2011 I caught a break - Dusty Groove just got both CD's back in stock this evening! I ordered both. Thanks everyone. Quote
BFrank Posted July 16, 2011 Report Posted July 16, 2011 I was going to say, if you are OK with MP3's, eMusic has both of those albums. But it seems you got CDs already. Quote
JSngry Posted July 16, 2011 Report Posted July 16, 2011 Great news indeed, finally able to get "real" copies of these two! GOOOOOOOOOOOOO BASTIDS!!!!!!!!! Quote
Head Man Posted July 16, 2011 Report Posted July 16, 2011 I caught a break - Dusty Groove just got both CD's back in stock this evening! I ordered both. Thanks everyone. Thanks for the 'heads-up', felser. I just put my order in for both of them/ Let's hope they have more than one copy for sale! Quote
felser Posted July 16, 2011 Author Report Posted July 16, 2011 I was going to say, if you are OK with MP3's, eMusic has both of those albums. But it seems you got CDs already. Amazon also has downloads for only $2.97 per album (benefit of only 3 cuts @ $.99 each), but I'm an older guy, and like my CD's. Quote
Kevin Bresnahan Posted July 16, 2011 Report Posted July 16, 2011 Great news indeed, finally able to get "real" copies of these two! GOOOOOOOOOOOOO BASTIDS!!!!!!!!! As long as you definition of "real" includes CD-Rs and photocopied artwork... that's what my copy of "The Believer" from the Billy Harper fan club "label" was. Don't get me wrong, as long as Billy OKs it and makes some $$ off of it I'm good. But I do worry about the longevity of unknown CD-Rs. Later, Kevin Quote
Shawn Posted July 16, 2011 Report Posted July 16, 2011 longevity of CDRs? I've never had one fail. I still have the very first compilation CDR I made in 1998, plays perfectly. Quote
BFrank Posted July 16, 2011 Report Posted July 16, 2011 Great news indeed, finally able to get "real" copies of these two! GOOOOOOOOOOOOO BASTIDS!!!!!!!!! As long as you definition of "real" includes CD-Rs and photocopied artwork... that's what my copy of "The Believer" from the Billy Harper fan club "label" was. Don't get me wrong, as long as Billy OKs it and makes some $$ off of it I'm good. But I do worry about the longevity of unknown CD-Rs. Later, Kevin I got one of those from the club, too - interesting. Quote
Leeway Posted July 16, 2011 Report Posted July 16, 2011 (edited) I think the ones you get from the BASTIDS are all CD-Rs from the Bill Harper Fan Club. I ordered a bunch of Harper CDs a year or so ago from them, and I think they are all CD-Rs. My copy of CAPRA BLACK, for example, is stamped Strata East, SECD 9019, but also is stamped with the name and address of the fan club. If the original issue means something to you, expect to hunt longer and pay more. Edited because I just checked the BASTIDS web site and while they identify the titls as from the Billy Harper Fan Club, thy list them as CDs, not CD-Rs. Hmmm. Edited July 16, 2011 by Leeway Quote
felser Posted July 16, 2011 Author Report Posted July 16, 2011 The 'Believer' I got from them was from the fan club, but silver-backed. Not sure if 'The Believer' and the other two ever actually came out on CD otherwise. I've never seen them. Quote
JSngry Posted July 16, 2011 Report Posted July 16, 2011 Great news indeed, finally able to get "real" copies of these two! GOOOOOOOOOOOOO BASTIDS!!!!!!!!! As long as you definition of "real" includes CD-Rs and photocopied artwork... If it's made and sold through legit channels, I consider it real. What it's not is "original", since these were all done as LPs. So if we want to get hardcore about it, only the LPs (and whatever tape parallel was released by MPS & Denon) are really real. I was actually a little shocked to find out about Love On The Sudan, becuase his other two Denon LPs had reasonable contemporaneous American distribution. Not so this one. I wonder why? Quote
JSngry Posted July 16, 2011 Report Posted July 16, 2011 The 'Believer' I got from them was from the fan club, but silver-backed. Not sure if 'The Believer' and the other two ever actually came out on CD otherwise. I've never seen them. The one I got from them was a $29.99 Japanese import (w/obi!), manufactured by BMG, part of the "Baystate Spiritual Jazz Series", and came in hardcore Japanese packaging (inserts, sleeve, etc.). What I've not seen (or hear of) is the MPS side ever being on CD. Hell, I never even knew of the LP until a few years ago. It never saw American release, and, as is typical with most of Billy's work, was never "heralded" by the circuit who thrived on pimpng "obscure" gems. I mean, I love those people, but Billy Harper's work outside of his American releases has never made it into their view, and that's a damn shame. Quote
kh1958 Posted July 17, 2011 Report Posted July 17, 2011 I bought Love on the Sudan from Dustygroove about a month ago, and it is silverbacked, if that proves anything. Quote
BFrank Posted July 17, 2011 Report Posted July 17, 2011 What IS "Love on the Sudan", actually? All 3 of those tunes are on other albums. Are these different versions? Priestess, "In Europe"The Awakening, "The Awakening"Love on the Sudan, "Trying To Make Heaven My Home" Quote
kh1958 Posted July 17, 2011 Report Posted July 17, 2011 Love on the Sudan, recorded June 27, 29 and 30, 1977 in New York City. With Everett Hollins (trumpet), Mickey Tucker, Gregg Maker (bass), Malcolm Pinson (drums). Produced by Yoshio Ozawa. Quote
JSngry Posted July 17, 2011 Report Posted July 17, 2011 Released in Japan on Denon, but not, I guess, as part of the (very) early digitally recorded albums, which might be why it never showed up over here, or at least not like the other two did. Quote
BFrank Posted July 17, 2011 Report Posted July 17, 2011 Love on the Sudan, recorded June 27, 29 and 30, 1977 in New York City. With Everett Hollins (trumpet), Mickey Tucker, Gregg Maker (bass), Malcolm Pinson (drums). Produced by Yoshio Ozawa. "The Awakening" (album) has that lineup. Maybe "Love on he Sudan" is from the same session. I have all those albums on LP with the liner notes, but they're boxed up and I can't easily get to them. Quote
JSngry Posted July 17, 2011 Report Posted July 17, 2011 Don't think so. The Awakening (released on the French Marge label) shows as being recorded in Paris on 1/21/79, produced by Jean-Louis Rizet. It also has Fred Hersch on piano. Quote
JSngry Posted July 17, 2011 Report Posted July 17, 2011 Hey Felser - do you have the 1980 Polish LP Billy Harper Quintet (Poljazz PSJ-99)? Harper, Chris Alberts (tp), Armen Donelian, Wayne Docker(!), & Newman Baker. Two sidelong cuts, "Soran Bushi B.H." & "Call Of The Wild & Peaceful Heart", recorded live at the Jazz Jamboree Festival. That's another one that I went years w/o ever knowing about...but then again, Poland seems to have had a whole bunch of things that only came out there...There's a Gil Evans album I've only seen once, and that was 30-35 years ago... Quote
felser Posted July 17, 2011 Author Report Posted July 17, 2011 Hey Felser - do you have the 1980 Polish LP Billy Harper Quintet (Poljazz PSJ-99)? Harper, Chris Alberts (tp), Armen Donelian, Wayne Docker(!), & Newman Baker. Two sidelong cuts, "Soran Bushi B.H." & "Call Of The Wild & Peaceful Heart", recorded live at the Jazz Jamboree Festival. That's another one that I went years w/o ever knowing about...but then again, Poland seems to have had a whole bunch of things that only came out there...There's a Gil Evans album I've only seen once, and that was 30-35 years ago... No, never even heard of it! Sigh... Quote
JSngry Posted July 17, 2011 Report Posted July 17, 2011 Also, not a Billy Harper alum per se, but close enough as to make no nevermind, there's another Polish thing recorded in 1996 & released on the Polish "Power Bros" label under trumpeter Piotr Wojtasik's name as Piotr Wojtasik & Special Guests, the special guests being Harper, Leslaw Mozdzer on piano, Buster Williams, & Ben Riley. The lead tune is by the leader, the other four are Harper's (I Do Believe, Soran Bushi, If One Could Only See, & Quest). I make no claim at discovering these, btw. A good friend (not a board memeber) & Billy Harper fanatic did. But it stands to reason that a guy like Billy, who's had no real domestic support & has had to travel the globe to make a living (those three live Steeplechase sides were recorded in some "atypical" places) would avail himself of whatever recording opportunities presented themselves along the way. Quote
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